Dr. Humbert Nabokov
Dr. Humbert Aloysius Nabokov (August 11, 1957) is an American-born mathematician and the professor of mathematics at the Academy in Eldritch. Previously, he was a Department Head for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he specialized in applied mathematics, and a Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University. Despite his status, he has yet to produce any published works (including his doctorate dissertation), a perceived shortcoming that has drawn criticism from many of his American colleagues. Background Humbert Aloysius Nabokov was born on August 11, 1957 in Braintree, Massachusetts to an astrophysicist father and and a sexologist mother. He attended school at Bostin Latin and later Harvard, before receiving his doctorate from MIT, where he met his future wife. Upon receiving his doctorate, he returned to Harvard, where he accepted a position as Assistant Professor in applied mathematics, teaching classes primarily on cryptography, statistics and occasionally mechanics. After being passed over for promotion, he resigned his post and took the same position at MIT. While at MIT, he again was passed over for a position as Professor of Applied Mathematics. Outraged, he began plagiarizing his colleagues work, hiding his actions via an elaborate system of alibis and intrigue. Eventually, his "work" paid off, and he received his coveted promotion. Several years later, he was promoted again, this time to Department Head after the unexplained death of the previous Head and one of Nabokov's former professors. Upon becoming Department Head, he found it increasingly difficult to plagiarize, and grew frustrated as his students began outperforming him during lectures. One day, after being corrected by a student on his own postulation, Nabokov checked into a motel room and attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the temple. However, the gun jerked his arm upon firing, and the bullet instead pierced his shoulder, sending him into shock, where he was found two hours later by a maid. While in the hospital, he had a dream of a giant tree, at the base of which was Professor Christoph, who offered him the chance to teach at the Academy, "unimpeded by the constraints of Western education." Taking this to mean that his self-perceived genius would be recognized, he left his family, boarding a plane to Peru which promptly crashed just off the shore of D'nalsi, as Christoph had prophesied in his dream. Personal Appearance Dr. Nabokov is of average height, being about 5'11", which curly brown hair that is beginning to bald. Despite his non-descript size, he keeps a very erect posture, in an attempt to make himself appear more regal and masculine. When attempting suicide, he accidentally shot himself in the shoulder, forcing him to wear a sling, which he continues to wear. Whether this is out of physical neccessity or an attempt to garner pity is unknown. Personality Dr. Nabokov is extremely vain and self-centered, and has showed a recurring willingness to do whatever he deems necessary to advance his career. He styles himself as a genius, and attributes his students successes to his teaching rather than to their own innate abilities. Likewise, he views the success of his former colleagues as being a combination of luck and favortism on the part of his employers, and justifies his actions by telling himself he is only doing what others have been doing for years. In addition to his delusion, Dr. Nabokov is very brash and dry, with little to no sense of humor or ability to comprehend sarcasm. He often alienates himself from those around him, students and adults alike, and considers Professor Christoph to be his only friend (though ironically, he privately expresses a deeper hatred for him than he does for most others.) Family Life Dr. Nabokov is known to have had a wife whom he met at MIT, though little to nothing is known about her. He also claims to have had two children, both girls. He abandoned them in order to teach at D'nasli. Idiosyncrasies Dr. Nabokov has several quirks, ranging from combing his hair only once a week to wearing a sling over his left arm at all times. He also frequently pretends to work on equations and graphs on his chalkboard when students or fellow professors enter his office, in order to give off the appearance of him being a "genius at work." He refuses to allow others to address him as anything other than "Dr. Nabokov", and is quick to correct those who fail to do so. He harbors an intense hatred for all things counter-cultural, being repulsed by Eldritch's large quantities of LSD and it's amount of users, and scoffing at local legends such as the legendary sword believed to be held in the Grove of Elders. He refuses to leave the area immediatedly surrounding Eldritch, choosing the ignore the existence of what he once believed to be fantasy creatures, such as faeries and dragons. However, he seems to have a certain fondness for the Merpeople, despite his limited interactions with them. Despite his supposed friendship with Professor Christoph, Dr. Nabokov is currently plotting to kill both him and The Great Bansai in an attempt to rid Eldritch of it's counter-cultural tendencies. Secrets Dr. Nabokov has a long history of cheating, from possibly plagiarizing his doctorate dissertation to stealing the work of his colleagues while at MIT. He has committed murder at least once, poisoning his former mentor at MIT in order to be promoted to Department Head. In addition, Dr. Nabokov has long held the belief that homosexuals are innately more intelligent than their heterosexual counterparts. As such, he has engaged in multiple homosexual affairs, but to his disdain found that he did not enjoy any of them. Quotes Dr. Nabokov has a certain fondness for quotes, often reciting lines from famous individuals. He has an extensive vocabulary, a result of his mother's former occupation as a linguist and of his advanced schooling, and is particularly fond of speaking German. *"Lassen Sie mich in Ruhe!" (Translated as "Leave me alone!") *"If two wrongs don't make a right, try three." - Unknown *Anything that he himself says. Most Embarassing Memory Seeing a woman naked at the age of thirteen and getting an erection, meaning that he was not homosexual as he had always hoped. Proudest Memory Being promoted to head the Department of Mathematics at MIT. Category:Background Category:Physical Characteristics Category:Personality Category:Family Life Category:Idiosyncrasies Category:Secrets Category:Quotes Category:Most Embarrassing Memory Category:Proudest Memory Category:Writer Characters